Variety denomination: Cornus angustata xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chinese evergreen dogwood Cornus angustata, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99. Prior to the designation of Cornus angustata as a distinct species in 1994, by Dr. T. R. Dudley of the United States National Arboretum, Washington, D.C. (see Phytologia. Vol. 76, pg. 428, 1994), Cornus angustata was classified as a variety of the Chinese kousa Dogwood, Cornus kousa, variety angustata Chun 1934.
The new xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99 variety of Dogwood was obtained by the Inventor in 1993 as a two to three year old seedling from a cultivated area in a Greenwood, S.C. nursery. It is believed that the seedling originated from seed collected in China. The plant has been cultivated in the Greenwood, S.C. garden of the Inventor where it was recognized to be a new and distinct cultivar of Cornus angustata having the unique characteristics described herein below.
Asexual reproduction of the new Dogwood by grafting and budding on seedling Cornus kousa and Cornus florida understocks has been undertaken at locations in Winchester and Belvidere, Tenn., and by softwood cutting in Hodges, S.C., which has shown in all instances that the unique features of the new xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99 Dogwood are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the new xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99 Dogwood have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. Accordingly, the phenotype may vary somewhat depending on changes in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylight, light intensity, nutrition and water status, without however, any variance in genotype. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99. The following characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Elsbryxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar of Cornus angustata: 
1. Vigorous growth rate.
2. Flowers produced at a young age, specifically, on 2 year old grafted plants.
3. Prolific flowering on an annual basis, specifically, heavier than other selections of Cornus angustata known to the Inventor.
4. Blooms 2 to 3 weeks later and over a larger period than other Cornus angustata and Cornus kousa Dogwood selections known to the inventor. In Greenwood, S.C. flowering commences in early May lasting through mid to late June.
5. Fruits form in early to mid September, extending ornamental interest into the fall season.
6. The evergreen foliage displays resistance to powdery mildew, as well as leaf and stem anthracnose, two major disease problems affecting many Dogwoods.
7. Foliage retention and deep green foliage coloration are maintained during the fall and winter months better than other selections of Cornus angustata known and observed by the Inventor.
8. Exhibits good cold hardiness, having withstood temperatures as low as 0xc2x0 F. in Winchester, Tenn. The typical and observed hardiness zone ranges from between 6b to 9 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map (1990).